Wet sorting apparatus



A ril 29, 19249 1,492,025

A.FRANCE WET SORTING APPARATUS Fild Jan. 24, 9 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2.,

17222 0 aim France.

29, 1924. 1,492,025 A. FRANCE WET SORTING APPARATUS Filed. Jan. 24 19 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I gig- J zv ne France readily ANTOINE FRANCE, 0F LIEGE, BELGIUM.

WET SORTING APPARATUS.

Application filed January 24, 1917. Serial No. 144,798.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTOINE FRANCE, a subject of the King of Belgium, residing at Liege, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wet Sorting Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wet sorting apparatus comprising flooded sorting pockets extending downwardly from the base of a conduit along which the material to be sorted is conveyed in a current of water.

It has already been suggested in such apparatus to make use of an upward current of water to separate the light from the heavy particles.

According to this invention the upward current in the sorting pockets is directed through a screen which retains the bulk of the material in the conduit and which is provided with flaps or movable portions which are opened to afford a passage for the sortedmaterial.

Other features of this invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation through a flooded sorting pocket.

Figure 2 is a cross-section through the conduit and a corresponding side view of a sorting pocket.

Figure 3 is a plan of a sorting pocket.

Figure 4: is a side elevation of a plant with two sorting pockets.

In carrying the invention into efiect the material to be sorted, such as coal, proceeds along a conduit 21 in a conveying watercurrent. Extending downwardly from the base of the conduit 21 there is a pocket 22 to which water under pressure is supplied by a pipe 23 provided with a control-valve 24. As a number of pockets are usually provided on a length of conduit the water is preferably supplied through a mam supply-pipe 25 with a branch plpe such as 23 for each of the pockets 22. In the pocket 22, adjacent the conduit 21, there 1s provided a screen which forms an entrance mouth to the said pocket 22. This screen is composed of two downwardly inclined and converging plates, 27, having perforations 28 therein. The lower narrow mouth at the base of the hopper or entrance mouth formed by the sloping plates 27 is normally closed by movable parts or flaps 2. The lower portions of the screen plates 27 pref erably extend vertically and parallel for a short distance as shown at 4 and the flaps Q10 2, which are conveniently sector-shaped, operate in openings 3 in the vertical portions 4.

The flaps 2 are pivotally mounted on parallel pivot-bars 11 which extend horizon- 2 are themselves preferably provided with perforations 2 so that they form efiective and'active parts of the screen. The sectorlike shape facilitates the operation of the flaps 2.

At the base the pocket 22 communicates 30 with the boot 26 of a bucket-elevator which is driven by means offast and loose pulleys 30 through gearing 31.

The balancing weights 5 to some extent form automatic means for controlling the discharge of sorted materials by keeping the flaps 2 closed until the weight of accumulated material acting on said flaps becomes suilicient to overcome the action of the weights 5, but it is usually preferable to provide additional means for controlling the discharge, such as the mechanical device shown. The said device comprises a crank 32 on the elevator driving shaft 6 and a rod 8 which may be attached at one end to dif 95 ferent points of the crank 32 and is connected at the other end to one arm of a suitably supported bell crank lever 10, of which the other arm is connected by means of a rod or chain 9 to the lever 5 which carries 199 the counterbalance weight. The material discharged through the lower narrow mouth formed between the vertical portions 4: of the screen when the flaps 2 are opened drop into the boot 26 of the elevator and is talrenup by the buckets 29 to be discharged through a chute 3 h The operation of the descrlbeddevme is as follows: The material proceeding along the bottom of the conduit sinks and collects in the hopper formed between the screen walls 27. This hopper 1S always flooded ivot-bars 11 and these levers being below the water level in the conduit. The upward current of water from the supply-pipe 23, passing through the perforations in the screen 27 and the flaps 2 is so by means of the valve 24 that the material of low specific gravity is washed upwards and carried further along the conduit 21 which has a gradual downward inclination in the direction of the conveying current. The material of high specific avity accumulates in the pocket above-t e flaps 2, thus tending to 0 en them against theaction of the counterba anc e Weights 1. The said flaps 2 are caused to open periodically either owing to the accumulation of material of high specific gravity to be discharged becoming at intervals sufficient to overcome the action of the weights 1, in cases where no mechanical operating means are provided, or, in cases, Where mechanical operating means such as. the parts 9, 10, 8 and 32 (Figs. 1 and 2) are'provided, owing to the levers 5 being. reciprocated and the flaps 2 caused to oscillate about their pivot-bars 11 through the medium of such means. In the latter case, the amplitude of the movement imparted to said flaps may be regulated by altering the position of the point at which the rod 8 is connected to the crank 32. 1

Figure 4 shows on a smaller scale two sorting pockets 12 and 13 arranged on an inclined conduit 15. The first of these pockets, 12, is arranged as described with reference to Figures 1-3. The second pocket 13 is shown as being provided with an elevator 14 which takes up the material discharged by the said pocket 13 and by way of a chute 14 returns the said material to the top end of the conduit 15 so that such material is caused to mix with the raw material to be sorted and to pass through the plant again. In this manner no material of high specific gravity not completely eliminated by the flooded sorting pocket 12 is not allowed to be discharge into the take-off conduit 15*.

I claim:

1. In wet sorting apparatus, the combination of a conduit for the classification of material according to specific gravity in a conveying water-stream; a hopper-like pocket depending from said conduit; a perforated sloping screen arranged in said pocket to allow the accumulation of the material of high specific gravity in the upper position thereof; means for supplying water to the pocket under the screen; a discharge conduit extending downwardly from the base of said screen; perforated means, forming a movable bottom portion of said screen, for controlling the passage through said discharge conduit; suitably controlled means foroperating said perforated means to allow the discharge into the base portion of the aforesaid pocket of the material accumulating in the upper portion thereof; and means for removing said discharged material from the base of the pocket; all substantially as described.

2. In wet sorting apparatus, the combination of a conduit for the classification of material according to specific gravity in a conveying water-stream; a hopper-like pocket depending from said conduit; a perforated sloping screen arranged in said pocket to allow the accumulation of the material of high specific gravity in the upper portion thereof; means for supplying water to the pocket under the screen; a discharge conduit extending downwardly from the base of said screen; a perforated pivoted member, forming a movable portion of said. screen arranged in said discharge conduit and normally tending to close the same under the influence of an adjustable counterbalance-weight adapted to act on the said pivoted member; operating means for opening such pivoted member periodically to allow the discharge into the base portion of the aforesaid pocket of thematerial accumulated in the upper portion thereof; and means for removing said discharged material from the base of the pocket; substantially as described.

3. In wet sorting apparatus, the combination of a conduit 'for the classification of material according to specific gravity in a conveying water-stream; a hopper-like pocket depending from said conduit; a perforated sloping screen arranged in said pocket to allow the accumulation of the material of high specific gravity in the upper portion thereof; means for supplying water to the pocket under the screen; a discharge conduit extending downwardly from the base of said screen; a pair of perforated sector-shaped oscillatory flaps, forming a movable bottom portion of the screen and mounted on two parallel pivot-bars extending horizontally along the lower edge of the fixed sloping sides of said screen, said pivotbars projecting at one end outwardly of the pocket; two substantially horizontal arms rigidly mounted on said projecting ends of the respective pivot-bars; an adjustable counter-balance weight on each of said arms, said weights normally balancing the action of the weight of material acting on. the upper face of the flaps so as to prevent the latter opening until a sufiicient quantity of 129 material has accumulated in the upper portion of the pocket; and means for removing the material discharged into the base portion of said pocket through the discharge conduit on the flaps opening; substantially as described.

4. In wet sorting apparatus, the combination of a conduit for the classification of material according to specific gravity in a convey ng water-stream; a hopper-like pocket depending from said conduit; a perforated sloping screen arranged in 'said pocket to allow the accumulatlon of the material of high specific gravity in the upper portion thereof; means for supplying water to the pocket under the screen; a dis charge conduit extending downwardly from the base of said screen; a perforated sectorshaped flap, forming a movable bottom portion of the screen and'secured on a ivotbar extending horizontally alon the ower edge of the fixed sloping portion of said screen, said pivot-bar prmectingat one end outwardly of the ocket; a substantially horizontal arm rig'i I mounted on said pro jecting end of the pivot-bar of the flap; a counterbalance-weight placed on said arm and tending norma ly to maintain "said flap in the closed position notwithstanding the action of the weight of material accumulated thereon; o crating means for imparting to the said ap a periodical oscillatory and movement allowin the discharge of the material accumulatmg in the upper portion ofthe pocket into the base ort1on thereof through the aforesaid disc arge conduit means for removin said discharge material from the base 0 the pocket; substantially as described.

5. In combination I with wet sortin apparatus of the type claimed in claim 1, mechanical means, such as for instance an elevator, whereby the mixed material discharged into the ase of one-or more ockets is returned to the head of the con uit to be mixed to the raw material in the conveying stream, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- ANTOINE FRANCE. Witnesses:

Gnomes VAN DER Hemmer,

J. Gnoss. 

